Not For The World
by sansarae.jones
Summary: This was a request from my good friend Amu. Amu and Len have been friends for years, but maybe Amu wants to be something more? How will Maiden feel about this when she finds out? Hints of Hetalia, Vocaloid and real world cross- over.


**A/N:** this is my debut fanfic, yay me! Hope it's not too bad. In this fanfic Len and Rin aren't twins, Rin is younger than Len, though I haven't decided the age difference but I don't think it really matters... Anyways I'm always open to reviews and critique! :D Oh and all the characters ( accept Rin) are around 18-19 in the beginning of the fic, and Len is turning 19. Also Rin isn't in Len's band. I just thought the fic sounded better without her randomly popping up in it like that. Like "Rin is so cute she got her little hyper-active moment" then BAM! It's all "Hey fuckers I magically came here before my bro without him noticing let me play" you see? Yeah... shut up. Anyways thanks Amu! I had a lot of fun writing this!

Not For The World

"What am I supposed to do?" Amu asked. Len's birthday was this Friday and he didn't know what to do for it. It was Wednesday. He looked to his friend with pleading eyes.

"Well, you could always be my babay~!" Maiden said, winking at Amu. He wasn't amused. Fine, fine. Has he given any indication to what he wants?" Maiden asked. Maiden was only a nickname. Even I'm not sure why they call her that, and I'm her best friend.

Amu looked at the ground, "No, he doesn't want to celebrate his birthday." The words hurt to say. He looked at Maiden with determination in his eyes, "But I _will_ do something for him! I-" Amu cut himself off, blushing. He hadn't told anyone he liked Len, not even Maiden. But one look at her face and somehow Amu could tell she knew.

"Well you better hurry then, his birthday is in 2 days. And just in case, I'm here _every day_ babay~!" Maiden giggled. Amu sighed, this conversation seemed to be going in circles.

"I know that, but I don't know what to do!" He exclaimed, sighing in defeat. He was trying to ignore the hidden sexual jokes. Maiden studied her friend's face for a moment, taking in the worried glance and creased brow before asking,

"You really care about him, don't you?" Amu's gaze fell and he blushed. "Y-yeah. Of course I do! He's my friend isn't he?" Maiden laughed.

"I suppose so," Maiden thought for a moment, "Well I suggest you do something sentimental for him, something meaningful. Nude pics?"

Amu studied her face, at least he _thought_ she was being serious. "Figures when I ask a girl..." He tore his gaze from Maiden. "You sure he'll like it?"

Maiden laughed, "Of course he will, it's from you!" Amu blushed. Suddenly he got an idea.

"Thanks, Maiden! I gotta go! See you Friday!" Maiden smiled, waving at her friend's retreating back. _Now all I gotta do is get her to confess to Len. They really should stop hiding it from each other._

Amu ran up the stairs and slammed the door to his room, making the '_Keep Out_' sign on his door sway. He plopped down on his bed, grabbing a journal off of his bed-side table. This was going to bee an exciting birthday.

(\ . /)

Len got home and shut the door with a barely audible _click_. Practice had run late that night; it was already 11 PM. He tip-toed through the hallway to his room. He didn't want to wake his sister. He shut the door to his room and slipped into bed, trying not to think of the events that could take place in 2 days.

He never celebrated his birthday, but Amu kept bringing it up, giving him the feeling he was going to have to make an exception this year whether he liked it or not. With a sigh, he settled into the pillows and drifted off to sleep.

(\ . /)

Amu was exhausted. He had spent all night planning out tomorrow, making sure it'd go perfectly. He couldn't sleep now, though. He was supposed to meet up with Maiden in ½ an hour to go over the plan.

He groaned, lifting himself off the floor and grabbing a towel. Maybe a shower would help keep him awake. He stepped under the jet of water, letting out an audible sigh as the hot water massaged his shoulders. Immediately he thought of Len, and what his reaction would be to the surprise. _Would he be excited? Surprised? Angry Amu hadn't ignored his desire to forget his birthday?_

He stepped out and shut off the water, wrapping a towel around his waist. He sighed again; he seemed to have made a habit of it. He wandered back into his room, keeping his thoughts on tomorrow. _I_ _hope I don't screw this up_. He thought to himself.

He was already on ( granted- unknown to Len ((for now))) thin ice for simply _planning _a party. He didn't want to think about what would happen should something go wrong. Without warning, Amu's mind started to wonder for him. _Would he hate me? Would he stop talking to me? Would he like it? Would I be bothering him? And why hasn't he told me why he never celebrates his birthday? _At that last one Amu shook his head, sitting on the floor. _If it was really so important he would have told me, stop worrying about it. _ This wasn't good, he needed to calm down. He was sure Len would love it! Yeah! After all, it was from Amu, he had to like it, right?

(\ . /)

Maiden woke up bleary-eyed. Amu had called her in the middle of the night, and it took her ½ an hour to convince her to meet up later today. She looked at the clock, if she wanted to be on time she should get ready. Amu seemed really excited over the phone. She was glad her friend was happy. She wandered what Amu had planned, and smiled knowing that it had to be great if it was for Len.

Maiden couldn't explain it, but the thought sent a pang of...sadness through her heart. She was happy for her friend, of course, but the thought of those two together always made her a little sad. _Come on, girl! Snap outta it!_ She jumped up, all pepped up to go meet her friend.

(\ . /)

Len only got 6 hours of sleep when his sister burst into his room, waking him up. "Len! Are we doing anything for your birthday tomorrow?" Len sighed, sitting up in bed. She knew the answer, but insisted on asking every year anyways. He was convinced now she only did it to bug him, but he didn't say anything.

"Of course not, Rin. You know that." same question every year, and the same boring answer. He got out of bed, effectively making his sister take a step back, covering her eyes. He looked down to see he was only in his boxers. Whoops.

He didn't see the problem though, his muscles were well-toned enough to look muscular, but not too-toned so he looked like a freak with his thin build. His skin wasn't perfectly tanned, but not pasty white either, somewhere in between, and it looked good. Rin should be happy to have such a hot brother. Only then did Len realize if she thought that it would be incest. Gross.

He looked back at Rin, still covering her eyes. "If you're going to do that, please get out of my room." By the time the last words were out of his mouth, she was down the hall, already shutting the door to her bedroom. "Well, might as well go for a walk." He said to the empty room.

he had spent a whole hour in the shower, only getting out when Rin yelled at him. He spent his time getting ready, not wanting to do anything productive. Now it was 9:30 and he was at the park, people watching. The cool February air perked him up, and he was glad he had chosen to go outside for the day.

He was watching some kids play tag when suddenly he spotted Amu. He was instantly filled with excitement, and got up, heading for him. "Amu!" He shouted, waving as he jogged over.

Amu turned to face him, his expression one of disappointment and annoyance that vanished as soon as he saw Len. Amu smiled when Len came up, returning the wave.

"Hey Len, wassup?" They started walking through the park. "Oh nothing, I just wanted to get out of the house, take a break. You know? The weather's pretty good." he said, looking up at the sky with a smile. _So cute~!_ Amu nodded, "Yeah, the weather's great!" they took a few more steps before Len asked, "So what about you, Amu?"

at the sound of his name the boy blushed. "I-I was just...enjoying the weather." Len smiled, "Well if you aren't doing anything else, would you like to get some ice cream with me?" Amu thought it over. _Well Maiden hasn't shown up yet, I think she can wait. Serves her right, she's ½ an hour late! _He brought his attention back to Len, who was smiling at him expectantly. "Sure, that'd be cool." He didn't think Len's smile could get any bigger than it was.

(\ . /)

Maiden sat in the bushes behind them, laughing slightly to herself. "I would love it if he were mine but they're just too cute~!" She noticed they were moving and got up to follow. They were going to one of those ice cream vendor things. Maiden Smiled, seeing Amu laugh at a joke Len made.

Suddenly they were sitting on a bench, the atmosphere awkwardly clouded by their ice creams. "Come on, Amu! Say something!" Maiden knew they couldn't hear her, but she couldn't help it, " This is a perfect time to confess!"

and just like that, Len was saying goodbye. Amu waved and smiled, but Maiden could see the disappointment in his eyes. She decided she wouldn't bring it up as she approached her friend. " Hey, Amu-chi!" Amu turned around, giving her a questioning look, "Amu-chi?" He asked.

Maiden shrugged, "It just sounded cute," She said as she sat down, "Sorry I'm late, I overslept. Though I would have preferred it if I woke up _with you_." Amu hit her in the back of the head. He just sighed, turning to face forward on the bench. It seemed like he'd been doing that a lot lately. " So, what was your 'Awesome Plan'?" She asked, trying to change the subject. Amu's face lit up, "Oh, you're going to love this." He said with a smirk that sent shivers down Maiden's spine. _Oh gosh, what have I gotten myself involved in now._

^/).(\^

The rest of the day went by fast. Len just walked around town, contemplating what Amu had said to him. _Meet me here tomorrow at noon, I've got a surprise to show you. And don't be late! _A surprise? It was undoubtedly a birthday surprise. Normally Len would just stay inside, refuse everything and act as though it were any other day. But Amu was his best friend, he didn't want to hurt his feelings. After debating it for a while, almost walking into traffic, and bumping into several bi-standers, he decided he would go after all. _It can't be that bad, and I owe it to him, he'd obviously spent a lot of time on this. And besides, don't you do stuff like this for the people you love? _Wait a minute...love? Did he love Amu? Did Amu love him? But that was impossible, they were both guys...and he was with that...Maiden girl. The thought made his heart fall. But...why? He obviously cared for Amu, otherwise he wouldn't be going to see him tomorrow. But what it enough to call it love? Maybe...

^/).(\^

the more Amu explained the plan, the more excited Maiden got. This was going to be _really_ fun. But if they were going to pull it off, they had to start right away. As soon as Amu was done explaining and they worked everything out, Maiden left to go place some calls. They were going to need some professional help if they were going to get this right.

^/).(\^

Amu practically ran back to his house. The preparations he had to complete were already running through his head as he tried to figure out what he would have to do. This might need another all-nighter. Amu inwardly sighed as the prospect of another night without sleep filled his thoughts, slowing him down. If he really was pulling another all-nighter, he'd need to save as much energy as possible. If he could finish before 4 or 5, he could get a few hours of sleep before meeting up with Len. He was practically jumping at the thought of finally getting to spend a birthday with Len.

Once he got home, he shut himself up in his room, pulling a few items out of his closet that he would need and grabbing his cellphone out of his pocket. No reason he had to do this completely alone. With 

Maiden's help and maybe a few other people, this would go by so much faster. He began dialing numbers, hoping no one's phones were dead.

7 hours later, Amu was starving and exhausted, but the preparations were finally done. He fell back onto his carpet with a thud, breathing a sigh of relief. He sat up to look at his friend's tired faces. He was grateful they were so quick to aid him, he couldn't ask for better friends than the ones in front of him. " Thanks so much for helping me out guys." Amu said, looking from face to face as he did so.

"No problem," the girl closest to him said. Her name was Sansarae, she was British, but no one knew why she had come to the US. "That's what friends are for, yes?" Amu nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, and besides, I didn't have anything else to do." Another girl said, giving a tired laugh. Her accent was thick, but not foreign. _From Texas._ Amu thought as she studied her friend's face.

Suddenly a loud voice broke through his train of thought, "So! What do we do now?" It was Maiden. Of course. She was the only one who didn't look tired in the group. "Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh! You'll wake up my parents!" Amu hissed.

A sly grin crept over Maiden's face, " I get it," She said, "You don't wanna get caught with me." She winked.

Amu rolled his eyes, "Hardly." He mumbled under his breath. He was used to her sexual jokes by now but he was really tired. He stood up, walking toward the pantry they kept the bed sheets in. "Since it's so late, you guys are welcome to stay the night." He said, pulling out some blankets.

"Oh no, I don't want to impose..." Sansarae said; almost inaudibly. _British manners_ Amu thought, shaking his head. "Not at all, it's past midnight, I think I would be the one imposing on your parents to call and pick you up at this hour." He said, tossing a blanket to Sansarae.

It landed on her head, and when she pulled it off, she couldn't help but laugh at her messy hair. "If you say so..." Amu smiled.

"If Sansarae is staying, then I'm staying!" Said the Texan. _Taffy, I think they call her...odd name, probably just a nickname. _Amu tossed her a blanket, " Keep it down Taf." The girl giggled, scooting over next to Sansarae, who already seemed to be asleep. _Wow, she could be Greece's kid._ Amu internally laughed.

"What about you guys, Maiden? Andrew?" Amu looked at her 2 remaining friends. Andrew quietly held out his hands, taking the blanket from Amu with a slight nod. He never talked, he was the most quiet Asian anyone had ever met, _certainly more quiet than that obnoxious Yao. _Amu thought. He looked over at Maiden, "Well?" He asked.

She stared at him for a minute before responding, " Well I figure you're going to make me anyway, and I wouldn't want to leave you _alone_." She drawled, winking as she turned to lay down. "Maiden, if I find you in my bed when I wake up, I'm never talking to you again." Amu said, settling into his bed. Maiden Put a hand over her heart, feigning hurt, "_Moi? _I would never do something to make my little Amu-chi _uncomfortable."_ The room filled with little snickers as Amu rolled over to face the wall. _I'll drop-kick her if she's lying_.

^/).(\^

Len couldn't sleep that night, his head was too full of other thoughts that refused to leave him alone. _Why my birthday of all days? Why not Valentine's Day or something? That's a useless day, why not then? _Of course these questions fit into a number of categories in his head. And then there was Amu. _What do I feel for him? Do I really love him? Is that weird?_ He'd never had a "significant other" before, and he didn't have a parent to give him the "birds-and-the-bees" talk. _And what do I do if I do feel that way?_ "What do I do then?" He asked. The only response was blackness and a slight breeze from the A/C kicking in. Len shivered and pulled his blanket closer to him. This was going to be a long night.

the night passed quicker than Amu would have liked; he didn't feel rested at all. On the bright side, it seems Maiden wasn't lying; when Amu woke up she was right where he'd left her. Now accompanying the tiredness was anxiety and nervousness. It was finally Friday. Len's birthday. Amu's stomach flipped just thinking about it. Though he couldn't tell if it was excitement or nervousness. Somehow he knew it was the latter. There was no guarantee that Len would like his surprise, or even _show up_. He never came out of his house on his birthday.

Amu sat up in bed, yawning loudly and waking up some of the others in the process. Sansarae sat upright, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes mumbling incoherent "sorry"s. Amu just looked at her for a second. "Hey Sansarae?" Sansarae looked at her with questioning. " Why do you always say sorry all the time? Even when you never do anything." Sansarae sat there for a minute. She seemed to be trying to understand what Amu was saying, as though he were speaking a foreign language. Then suddenly it was like someone flipped a switch, and she was standing up, flailing her arms about.

"Ah! I'm so terribly sorry does it bug you? I didn't mean it I mean I don't want to bother you I'm sorry! I never meant anything by it please just ignore me I never meant to harm or annoy anybody please forgive me I'm sorry!"

Amu blinked. _That came out of nowhere_. "It's fine Sansarae, whatever, it doesn't matter." He suddenly had the feeling he didn't know his friends as well as he thought he did, and that bothered him. _One thing at a time Amu. _He jumped out of bed, ignoring the little shriek that came from Sansarae when she saw he was in his boxers. _I don't remember stripping down..._ he thought briefly as he woke up everyone else. " Hey, guys. Come on, wake up. We have to get ready." When he moved to wake up Maiden, she grabbed him around the shoulders as he bent down, bringing him down on top of her. " Maiden!?" He exclaimed, " What the hell are you doing?!" She just laughed and hugged him tighter.

"Oh come on, Amu-chi. Gimme sexy love~" Amu pried her arms off him, walking over to his closet and pulling out some clothes.

"Now is not the time for your sexual jokes, we have to get ready. I'll drive everyone in my mom's van and you can all grab a change of clothes. And grab something _nice_, we're going straight to the park after this." He laid out his shirt on the bed, pulling on his pants. " Everyone go wait in the living room, and if you have to use the restroom use it now, okay?" Everyone headed out the door as he added, "I'll start breakfast in a second!" He looked over at the clock, it was almost 8. _I think I have time for a shower, yeah?_

After a quick shower, he got re-dressed and headed into the living room. But something was different... "Where's Maiden? And what's that smell?" Sansarae looked up at him with apologetic eyes, " She got tired of waiting so she started breakfast already." She said. Amu walked into the kitchen, sure enough, Maiden was bent over the stove, frying (or at least trying to ) some bacon and eggs. "What are you doing?" Amu asked, making her jump slightly. She turned to him, a goofy smile on her face.

"What's it look like? I got tired of waiting so I started without you!" She exclaimed.

Amu sighed. _Gosh if I don't stop I'll end up sounding depressed! _"I didn't take that long of a shower, work on your patience." Maiden gave her a pleading look.

"But Aaaaammuuuuuuu~!"

Sigh.

"Whatever, just please don't burn my bacon."

Maiden's face lit up and she smiled, "Roger!" she turned back to her cooking and Amu returned to the living room.

"Breakfast will be ready shortly." He said, taking a seat between Taf and Andrew on the couch. Sansarae was sitting across from them in a plush chair, looking like she wanted nothing more than to sink into the stuffing and disappear.

"I'm surprised your parents haven't woken up yet." Taf commented. Amu shrugged, "Deep sleepers." He said. Taf gave an understanding nod.

"So then," Sansarae said, trying to sit up in the giant chair, "How are we all going to do this?"

^/).(\^

Len woke up to a silent house. That's how it always was on his birthday, the one day a year Rin didn't bug him by practically breaking his door off it's hinges. He sighed, getting out of bed and scooting down the hall to the bathroom, he took a shower, letting his thoughts drain away with the hot water. _Another year, another day older. _That's all he ever really thought of his birthday, he couldn't fathom why anyone would want to celebrate that. But for today he promised himself he'd at least try to smile and have a good time. _For Amu._

He got dressed, getting more and more excited as time passed. By the time he had to leave, he was _actually _looking forward to whatever surprise Amu had waiting for him. He just hoped it wasn't anything too extreme.

^/).(\^

"everyone got it?" Amu asked through a mouth-full of bacon. Everyone nodded silently, chewing the last of their breakfast. Amu swallowed and looked at all of their faces. "Good, then we need to get going. Help me carry the stuff." They headed to his room, chatting about the excitement about to happen.

It didn't take long for them to walk there, and Amu was glad he lived so close to the park- for once in his life. They set the stuff down and Amu gave Maiden a confirming nod to start making calls. A party wasn't a party without party guests after all, and he had a feeling it'd be more fun with more than 6 people.

Within minutes, more people started to come, and it started to look more like a concert than a party. Amu laughed, he was going to have to make sure Len couldn't see anyone when they met up. He watched as the others milled about, catching up with new arrivals and chatting with others. He checked his phone. _I better start heading over. _He thought. He turned to the crowd of teens.

"Hey, everyone," He shouted, they all turned to look at him as he talked, "I have to go meet with Len, make sure you're all ready, alright?" He was answered with some excited cheers and fist pumps, and let out a little laugh. They actually might be more excited than him! He could still feel the butterflies in his stomach as he headed toward the meeting place.

^/).(\^

When Len got to the park, he was surprised to see it so busy. There were at least double the people there usually are, and that's speaking from a normal day. Usually no one wants to come out in the February weather. He wondered as he walked if there was something going on here today, and one thing flashed across his mind. _Amu. _He instantly broke out in a huge smile and quickened his pace ever so slightly. _If they are part of Amu's plan and know what's going on I don't wanna look excited. Play it cool, Len. _But he couldn't help the smile on his face as he walked along the path, it didn't seem to want to come off.

^/).(\^

Amu's mind wondered as he walked, and inevitably, his mind started filling with doubts. He got nervous and stopped, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. A young couple behind him suddenly stopped, trying not to bump into him, and walked around. As they carried on in front of him, the boy turned around and glared at Amu. He didn't care though, he didn't even seem to notice. He was too lost in thought. _What if -_

"Amu-chi!" Someone yelled behind him. He turned around. _Maiden_. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking him over. "What are you doing, Amu-chi? Don't just stand there, go get Len!" Amu pried her arms off him, muttering a quick yet forceful "get off me" before smoothing out his shirt and turning to her.

"I was just about to, don't worry." Then a thought occurred to him, "What are you doing here, anyway? You're supposed to be helping out with the party." Maiden gave a short laugh.

"I knew you were still nervous so I came to check if you were alright!" Amu eyed her suspiciously. He had a hard time believing she didn't have other motives, especially considering what she's done in the past. Their friends were even beginning to _ship_ them together because of how Maiden acts sometimes.

"Well I'm fine now, so go help the others." He said, turning around. Maiden sighed. Although Amu couldn't see her face, he could imagine the expression, and it made him smile a bit.

"Alright," She said, sounding defeated. Amu could hear her walking away, and decided he better get moving too, hopefully Len wasn't there already.

Amu walked up to the bench he and Len were sitting at yesterday, but didn't see Len. _Okay it's fine chill out, he's probably just running a little late, just wait for him._ He sat on the bench and folded his hands in his lap, looking around for Len. There were a lot of people there, Amu finally realized. He knew Maiden invited a lot of people but he doubted she knew _this many_ people, considering the size of their town and all, it looked like most of the teenagers in the entire city were here. He sighed through his nose, gazing at the teens passing by in a hurry, either chatting with a friend, on their phone, or trying not to look at anyone. _We're a strange generation._ Amu thought.

He had been sitting there for 5 minutes, and still no Len. He looked at his watch; 12:10. he really hoped Len was just late and he hadn't spent 2 (almost) sleepless nights planning for nothing. He glanced around again, and that's when he saw Len, he was trying to reach him, but there were so many people around he couldn't pass by. Amu got up off the bench and began to try to make his way to Len, pushing people out of the way with quick and meaningless "sorry"s. He reached Len, laughing slightly as he took in his appearance.

His shirt was ruffled slightly, and his hair was messier than usual. He had a little dirt on his pants and face, but overall it wasn't too bad. Amu guessed it was all from the giant crowds of people and being shoved around. Then he looked at himself and laughed louder, realizing he was just as worse for wear. He was dirty and the collar of his shirt was flipped up. He glanced back at Len and saw he was trying to contain his laughter.

"You don't look any better Len." He said. Len let out a roar of laughter and looked at Amu, "Yeah but your face it just..." He tried to catch his breath before continuing. "Never mind. What did you want to show me?" Amu looked down at his feet, "Uhm...Oh, right. Come on." He said, motioning for Len to follow. He just hoped everyone was ready.

^/).(\^

When Maiden got back with the crowd of party-goers, she noticed that a lot of them were trying to hide. Key word being _trying_; they weren't very good. She walked closer to the crowd. "Uhm, guys? The band...? We're not playing 'hide-and-go-seek' here." One by one the teens came out, some laughing at their stupidity, some just staring at the ground, or doing something equally awkward. Maiden just shook her head. "Alright guys come on, lets get this thing started!" She started running toward a stage they'd set up. She laughed as she ran, she preferred this, she hated being too serious.

The others followed suit, running forward and cheering. A few people jumped on the stage. They were obviously the people she'd called for "entertainment" earlier. Good, this was about to get a whole lot better.

^/).(\^

The closer they got, the more people there seemed to be. _Okay, _Len thought as he got elbowed...again. _So this is why there were so many people here today. I knew it had to do with Amu. _That last thought made him smile, and Amu looked over at him, "Glad to see you like getting elbowed and pushed around!" They had to shout now to be heard over all the noise. _Is that a band...?_ Len looked over at Amu, pushing some punk kid out of the way. "No, I was just thinking..." He trailed off, Amu looked at him expectantly. Though it seemed like there was something more in the expression, as if she was trying to gauge how he felt right now.

Len continued, "I was thinking... I noticed all these people earlier... Did you call them here?" Amu blushed at the question and focused his gaze ahead, prodding his elbow into someone's ribs to get them to move. "I... Well, Maiden did actually... I asked her to. Though I didn't know this many people would show up." He looked at Len apologetically.

As they got closer, Len realized that that _was_ a band. _His _band, actually. _What are they doing here?... Oh yeah, right. Duh. Come on Len._ When they got closer, Amu started smiling, "They sound fantastic." He said. Len smiled, they were. "Well I hope so, we practice like crazy..." He looked at Amu and saw him staring at him, "What?"

Amu looked away, "Oh nothing, I was just thinking...They probably sound way better with you singing. That's all."

Len looked at him in disbelief. "You think so?" he asked. His voice sounded softer, more...airy, weird. Amu nodded, still just staring forward as they approached the front of the stage. "Come on, I want to hear you sing!"

Len tried to pull away as Amu grabbed his wrist. "You've heard me sing before!" He protested. Amu shook his head. "Yeah but not in a live concert! You've only sang to me privately, I want to hear the genuine thing!" Len knew he couldn't get out of this. Sighing he stepped o stage. Instantly the crowd erupted, and he forgot everything as he grabbed the mike, instantly being sucked into the music.

_Warui yume ni unasareta watashi wo hayaku okoshite  
donna koto demo  
hajimari wa sasai na koto deshou?  
Doko ga ii ka nante kikarete mo komaru  
kirei na yoru ni modowasareta mama yukue fumei dakara _

His voice floated above the crowd. Amu could tell he was in his own little world. He sounded so... Heavenly? At peace? He couldn't think of any words to describe the look he saw on Len's face as he sang for the crowd. He tried to snap himself out of it, trying to remind himself that it was Len's birthday, he should be the one down here in the crowd having fun. But before he could get anywhere with the thought, he was absorbed by the lyrics again.

_Kizuguchi kara tokedashita mono wa  
aijou sore tomo  
aa..._

koukai wa shinu hodo shiteru  
sono bun dake kaikan wo yobisamasu  
kurui dashita watashi wo tomete  
isshun de raku ni shite yo 

Amu just stood there, listening to Len sing and hearing the shouts and cries of admiration from the others around him. They sounded so far off. Before he knew it, the band was already finishing the song and moving on to the next. The last notes tinkled away as his voice faded.

_Setsunai to iu kanjou wo shiru  
(hibiku piano)_

fukyou waon 

Then suddenly the new song started, it was darker, the cords more... drastic. He listened to the song, it made him sad. It was about how he had fallen in love with someone whilst being locked beyond a fence.

_Aru jidai aru basho  
Hitori no shuujin ga  
Sakugoshi ni koi wo suru  
SETSUNAI SETSUNAI_

_Jiyuu wo ubaware  
Hakugai wo ukeru  
Kitanai boku to kimi to ja  
SAGA ARU SAGA ARU _

Amu wondered who he was singing about. Or if he was even singing about anyone at all. It still bothered him, he didn't like the thought of Len being locked up.

_Kimi ga ireba donna uso datte  
Subete hontou ni naru ki ga shita  
"Boku to kocchi ni kite hanasou yo"  
Keshite kono omoi wa tsutawaranai _

_Dakedo kimi wo  
Miteru koto ga  
Ashita e no  
Sasayaka na shiawase _

Amu thought back to when he and Len had met. It had been a complete accident. He had been singing to himself in the park, on the very same bench they had sat at yesterday, no less. He seemed kind of down, but after Amu had started talking to him, his mood had lifted, and they were instantly friends. Since then, they have hung out a lot, Len singing some times, other times him trying to convince Amu to sing. Of course he had refused, and Len bugged him about it for a while, only giving up a few months ago.

_Yobu koto mo  
Ou koto mo  
Derarenai  
Boku ni wa dekinai _

The band slipped into an instrumental, and Len put the mic back on the stand. He scanned the crowd, not really seeming to look for anyone.

_Tsui ni boku no ban ga kita  
Kimi no inaku natta ima  
Kono yo ni miren wa nai kedo  
Naze da ka KOKORO ga sakenderu _

_Mou sukoshi dake ikitai  
Ima wa mou muzukashii kimochi ja  
Nakute tada saigo ni kimi ni  
"AITAI" _

Len was looking straight at him, and his heart skipped a beat. _What? Did he mean me?_

_Kimi to sugoshita hi wa modorazu ni  
Soumatou no you ni yomigaeru  
Hitotsu hitotsu kimi ga kureta mono  
Sore ga boku no ikiru kate ni natte ita _

He had walked toward the edge of the stage, never breaking eye contact with Amu. _Please understand. _He thought as he sang the lyrics. Amu starred at him, a confused yet surprised look on his face. _His sustenance to live? Really? What? Why?_

_Onegai moshi kore ga saigo nara  
Boku wo ano ko to hanashi wo sasete  
Semaku kurai tojita sono heya ni  
Setsunaku tada sono koe wa hibiku _

Len winced, he should have said boy. He hoped Amu didn't take it the wrong way...

_Mune mo iki mo  
Kurushiku naru  
__Semete kimi no  
Namae dake demo_

_Everything. _Len thought, _I want to know everything about you Amu, being friends isn't enough. Please show me you understand, somehow!_

_ShiritakaTTA...  
_

Amu just stood there, staring at him. It was clear the crowd could sense the mood, the whole area had gone completely silent as they watched the 2 boys, waiting for a reaction. Suddenly Maiden was behind Amu, shoving him on stage. He was trying to get out of her grip, _a very flirtatious one_ Len thought. Amu was shoved on stage and a band member walked up and handed him a mic. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack, this wasn't part of the plan! He looked back at the band members and one of the girls- the one with long teal hair- smiled at him. He tried to return it, but could only manage a nervous twitch.

He looked out at the audience, at Maiden. She was making hand gestures, she wanted him to sing. Him? Sing? He never sang in front of people. He could feel his palms sweating and looked at Len. He was smiling at him expectantly, and nodded slightly. Amu calmed down a little and returned the nod. The band started playing a tune, and luckily Amu knew this song word for word, it went right along with Len's. He started to sing.

_Aru jidai aru basho  
Mazaranai kono sekai de  
Futari no TSUTANAI sekai tsunagu  
Hitotsu no kami hikouki _

_Mainichi byouin wo nukedashi  
PAPA no shigotoba de  
Kimi ni au no ga watashi no subete de _

_Kimi no tegami wo yomu to kokoro ga  
Atatakaku naru  
Hoho wo someta kore ga koi na no ka _

_Dakedo  
PAPA wa iu  
Kowai kao  
Ano ko ni wa  
Accha DAME?  
Watashi ni wa wakaranakatta _

Then Len joined in.

_Anata ga iru nara sore dake de  
Ikite iru imi ga aru  
Hikari no sasanai kono heya de  
Mirai wa kagayaite ita yo _

He stepped back, Amu was still singing. He was so nervous, he wasn't even paying attention by now, he was simply reciting the words off memory with the music.

_Hi ni hi ni fueru kuda no kazu to  
Tooku naru mimi  
Aruku no mo kanari kitsuku natta ka na _

_Mou koko kara ikite derenai nara  
Saigo ni anata ni  
Shinpai dake wa kaketakunai kara  
Hashiru _

_Sayonara no  
Omoi nosete  
Kawasareru  
Kami hikouki  
Namida wa mou miserenai _

Len came forward, joining him for the next verse and taking his hand in his. A warm feeling swept over Amu, and he smiled at Len as they sang the next part of the song together.

_"Matsu yo. Itsu made mo matteru yo!  
Kimi ga kuru sono hi made  
Tegami wo daiji ni nakusazu ni itara  
Mata aemasu yo ne..." _

The next part was Amu's, but this time Len didn't stand back, he stood next to him, keeping their hands together as Amu sang.

_Are kara iku tsuki  
Mou karada wa ugokanai  
Omukae wa mou sugu kuru no ka na  
Ano toki no wakare giwa ni  
Tsuyogara nakereba yokatta  
Mou oso sugita  
Ima mo dokoka de warau anata ni...  
Aitai aitai  
Aitai _

Amu got the feeling that he wouldn't feel so lonely, so frustrated anymore. With Len beside him, he knew he'd be fine. They both moved to sing the next part.

_Hikari no ataranai hana wa tada  
Kareteku no wo matsu sadame  
Anata no kureta tegami dake ga  
Watashi ni hikari wo kureta n desu  
Mou kasunde tegami mo yomenai yo  
Heya ni hibiku mukishitsu na oto  
Onegai moshi kore ga saigo nara  
Ikasete anata no moto e... _

For the longest time Amu didn't know if he'd make it, if he's be okay with just being friends with Len. But now he knew it would all be alright. All those days spent together were like little lieeters written to him telling him to hold on, and now that he had made it this far he had finally met his love. It scared him to think that had it not happened like this, he would have ended up like the girl in the song, at least on a metaphoric level. He would have withered away into nothing from the loneliness. He squeezed Len's hand, and smiled when he squeezed back.

Amu: Len:

_Anata ga ita kara zutto watashitachi wa [Kimi ga ita kara zutto bokutachi wa]  
Egao wo wasurezu ni iraremashita [Egao wo wasurezu ni iraremashita]  
Fukai yami ga futari wo kirisaite [Fukai yami ga futari wo kirisaite]  
Fukai yami ga mata meguri awasete [Fukai yami ga mata meguri awasete] _

_Mata ashita _

_Ano basho de _

The crowd cheered, shouting and jumping as the couple bowed and exited the stage. The rest of the band quickly took over and started playing "Kagerou Days" as Len and Amu began talking off stage.

"You were amazing!" Len shouted. Maybe talking right next to the stage wasn't a good idea after all. "You think so?" Amu asked, trying to hide his blush. Len smiled, "I know so." He said, taking hold of Amu's hand again. He didn't pull away, that was a good sign.

_So does this mean he feels the same way? _They both wondered, unbeknown to the other. They looked each other in the eyes for a minute, trying to gauge the other's feelings. "So Amu..." Len began. When he didn't continue, Amu prodded, "Yeah?" He asked, giving Len's hand a light squeeze.

"I don't think I got to properly thank you for the awesome party." He said, guiding him to step behind the stage.

"I don't know if you can call this awesome, I didn't mean for you to have to perform, I'm sorry. I wanted you to have fun and I know performances can be stressful."

Len just smiled as they came to a stop behind the stage. Good, no one could see them now. "No, it was fine," He said, shaking his head, "I actually had a great time, and singing with you was...amazing." He was blushing now, and looking at Amu, Len could see he was too.

"Oh...well...thank you." Amu said, ducking his head. Len laughed. "So allow me to properly thank you." He said, grabbing Amu's chin and pulling him in for a kiss. Amu's eyes went wide, but he didn't pull away. When they needed to breathe they separated. Len was smiling like a goofball and Amu couldn't stop blushing, a tiny smile on his face. " Took you long enough..." Amu muttered. Len laughed, " I could say the same to you." He took hold of Amu's hand again, "Come on, lets get back out there and enjoy the concert."

^/).(\^

Sitting in the bushes 30 feet away, Maiden snickered to herself as she watched Len and Amu kiss. They really did look cute together. And now Amu was blushing! So cute~! She decide that if she could see them happy as a couple, she didn't care about how she felt, after all, there are other fish in the sea. Or maybe in the concert mob... She hurried back toward the party before Amu and Len spotted her, trying to hold back her laughter the whole way.

- 10 years later -

"Mom! Dad! Zoe won't stay out of my room!" Alex ran through the hallway, nearly colliding with Len. "Woah there, what's up?" He asked. Alex looked up at his dad, " Zoe won't get out of my room and I need to get my homework done!" Len sighed. _These kids._ He walked with his son to his room and saw Zoe on the bed. "Zoe please come out, your brother has to do homework." She just laughed and looked at them both, not moving an inch, "Make me!" Len sighed, he could tell this was going nowhere.

Suddenly Amu was at the door, "Zoe listen to your father." He said. Zoe's eyes widened and she jumped off the bed, walking out of the room with a "yes mommy". The word made Amu cringe. He hated being referred to as the woman of the relationship, but it couldn't be helped now...

There was a knock at the door, and Amu left to answer it. When he got to the door, he practically screamed in surprise. Maiden stood in the doorway with a tall man and a small child clutching her pant leg. " AMU-CHI!" Maiden cried, knocking Amu over in a hug. " I haven't seen you in 5 years! How've you been?"

Amu struggled to get out from under his friend. " Uhm, good as far as it can go, hahaha. But that's what to expect with kids." He said, looking back at Zoe and Alex now fighting over a book. " Zoe, Alex, Matthew is here!" Suddenly the twins stopped what they were doing and looked at the door. Their eyes lit up when they saw the small boy in the doorway.

" MATTHEW!" They both screamed, tackling the poor boy in a hug. Everyone laughed as the twins helped up their friend, taking his hand and dragging him inside to do god knows what. Amu looked over at Maiden.

"So what brings you here?" He asked. He doubted it was simply to say hi, he'd heard they've been very busy with something recently, she wouldn't waste time just to say hi. Maiden looked at the ground, "Uhm, me and Alfred have some news!" She said, trying to perk up. _That's right,_ Amu thought, _his name's Alfred. _"We're uhm...Having another baby!" She said. Amu was sure if he'd been drinking water it would have been all over the front of his shirt right now. "What?!" Len walked into the room, laughing slightly, "That's great news, Maiden. I'm happy for you guys." He said, putting an arm around Amu.

Alfred stepped forward, talking to Len, " Well let's go get some beer, let the _wives_ have some catching-up time." Amu could tell by the way he said wives he was being made fun of, he didn't pay it much mind though. Alfred was a good person.

"Alright then, Amu, you think you'll be okay with the twins here?" Len asked. Amu wanted to laugh, "Of course, they only listen to me after all." Len cringed, and Amu laughed. "Hurry up and get out, we need to talk." Amu said. There was no venom in the words, but they worked none the less.

Once the husbands were out the door, Maiden and Amu moved to the couch in the living room. It was strange, he realized. As teens, they talked about nothing all the time, here they were; adults and they can't talk at all. Though he found that life was full of irony as he grew up.

"So how are you and Len?" Maiden interrupted his thoughts. It took him a minute to register what he'd been asked.

"Oh. We're good. We've been busy lately though, between taking care of the kid's school and work and everything else. Bills, getting ready for Christmas, Birthdays. I guess we've been trying to manage our money, I don't know." He heaved a sigh, turning to his friend, "What on Earth possessed you to want another child? It's only going to get harder. Will you guys be okay?"

Maiden let out a little laugh. " Oh yeah, we'll be fine. If anything my pregnancies have made us closer. We'll figure out the money when we get there, for now I choose to live in the present. Life is more fun that way, you know?" She smiled at him. Amu marveled at his friend, she still had that weird kind of crazy attitude, she hadn't changed a bit. Accept now she didn't make everything a sexual innuendo.

"It's going to be tough," Amu said, "And sometimes you might want to quit."

"Yeah, but as long as I have my family there to support me, I'll never leave." Maiden responded. Alfred and Len walked in, followed by the children once they were inside. "Besides, I don't think I'll ever want to trade them for anything else, would you?"

Amu watched the 2 men as they talked to the children, sipping beer, a peaceful smile graced his lips, " No, not for the world."

**A/N:** yeah, I wasn't too sure about adding the ending here, the future thing. But it just started out so cute~! So I convinced myself to finished...don't hate me /)(\ remember please please please review and I love you all!


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